Dropping out of uni due to mental health

My mental health has really declined since I've gone to college. My freshman year I was dealing with hallucinations, self harm, and paranoia but my grades didn't really suffer at that point. My sophomore year I was hospitalized and under the 72 hour hold they came up with oppositional defiant disorder (which I disagree with) and my grades began to really suffer. The spring I did better and got on the Dean's List but I began hearing voices again and self harming.

I'm currently in my junior year and I was hospitalized in the fall for 2 weeks and diagnosed with bipolar I with psychotic features. I failed several classes in the fall and almost got kicked out of uni so this semester I switched my major from a biochemistry degree to a cognitive science degree which is a degree I don't really want but it's the only one I can finish in 4 years. My grades are better this time around (so far) but I am having a hard time mentally. I am taking my meds regularly and just saw my doctor, I'm seeing a therapist, but I still feel suicidal and unmotivated. However, I am not hallucinating anymore or self-harming but I feel like I'm on the verge of self harming again. My mom says I should just come home and get a job and/or go to the community college at home and work on my mental health at home.

I am trying to decide if I will buy a bus ticket to go home tomorrow and drop out of this university or if I should just stick it through and risk hospitalization again. I can tell that my mental health is taking a toll on my mom now because she's starting to develop heart issues due to all of the stress I'm causing her. Should I just go home and get a job for now? I'm going to one of the top universities internationally and I know if I drop out I will never have a chance like this again. I once wanted to go to medical school but I can see that it is out of the question now but I could still be an EMT or medical assistant if I go to the community college. I'm really interested in biology too.

I'm not sure what to tell the rest of my family if I drop out. Should I drop out? Please help. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

In most university programs students have the option of dropping or deferring subjects if they are unable to sustain the workload. The Option of deferring your degree for 12 months could also be a viable option (time frame varies from uni to uni). This can be necessary for any number of reasons, and can be worked around if addressed early.

It is important that you speak to a student counsellor at your University, and discuss your options. University is time consuming & expensive, studying a subject that is of no interest to you is a waste of time & money in my opinion. Time for you to re-evaluate and find a program that is workable....Your Student Counsellors are there to help you navigate these type of difficulties.

I hope you find a way through...all the best of luck to you.

Quarter life's advice is good. I would communicate with your counselors and the health center at your school to see if you have any options. If you are a junior now you don't have that much time left. But if you are unable to find any accommodations or help and you know your health will be at risk, I would do what you think is best for yourself, NOT your education or . Either way I'm wishing you the best. Keep this thread updated.

Instead of dropping out, can you take a leave of absence (e.g. for a year or two)? You can use the time to get healthier and figure out (to some extent) what you want from your time at college.

I took a six month leave during my junior year. The break helped me create and test a treatment plan with my healthcare providers. It was also a good chance to de-stress and think about what courses I wanted to take when I got back to college.

I understand your hesitance to take a break from, or possibly give up a spot in, a top university. From what I can gauge from your post and my personal experience, I suggest taking a leave of absence, working on your mental health, and deciding what kind of coursework/subjects you want to focus on. College is challenging enough for people without mental health issues.

I think focus and not overburdening yourself with regard to your studies is important. Having focus, even if you're not sure that your chosen subject is what you want to pursue for the rest of your life, will reduce a lot of stress (at least from my experience). There's always time to switch career paths or pursue further education later. A lot of people do it. Pursuing an "open-ended" degree, like computer science, economics, and biology might also help you branch out later. These fields intersect with and extend to many other fields.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I know almost exactly how you feel and what you are feeling! and it is an extremely hard thing. so if you have people in your 'corner' who can help you and are there for you, take advantage of that! ask people at the school what your options are and ask your healthcare providers maybe what they think you should do. at least you have options, remember that.

I had to drop out of college and sadly was never able to return. I completed three full years and only made it half-way thru the next semester before everything fell apart and I just couldn't do it anymore. but I didn't have anyone in my corner, certainly no one from the school telling me what my options were. and my parents forced me to keep trying, even though I knew I couldn't do it (which only made things worse).

what I'm trying to say is use the people and resources around you to figure things out. in the end, you need your mental health to complete your studies so take care of that. if you can find a way to have things work, go for it and best of luck to you!

I just dropped out for mental health reasons for the fourth time. There is no shame in doing what you need to do to stay healthy. Taking time off also gave me time to re-evaluate what I wanted to do with my life. I changed my major several times before I found my calling in nursing. You can always go back later, but there's also no shame in not finishing school if you decide it isn't for you. Plenty of successful people don't have college degrees. Not just Bill Gates and the like, but my best friends husband who makes bank as an elevator mechanic, people who work their way up the corporate ladder without a degree (my dad is in middle management at MasterCard and has mentioned quite a few very successful people in the company who don't have degrees), etc.

I personally highly value my own education and it felt like my world was crumbling each time I dropped out. I eventually came to find that I made the right decision for myself the first three times. I'm still processing the most recent time since I just dropped out this weekend, but I know from past experience that I made the right decision for me.

I'm not going to tell you whether you should or shouldn't drop out...that is your decision to make. This topic is deeply personal for me and I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. Good luck with everything.